Sifter-drive.



L. I. ZIEGLER.

SIFTER DRIVE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.23. 1914.

Patent-ed Oct. 5, 1915.

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L. I. ZIEGLER.

SIFTER DRIVE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23. 1914.

Patented Oct.

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LESLIE I. ZIEGLER, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO NORDYKE & MARMON COMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

SIFTER-DRIVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

Application filed April 23, 1914. Serial No. 834,015.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LESLIE I. ZIEGLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Sifter-Drive, of which the following is a specification.

The sifting of flour is accomplished by subjecting the same to the action of horizontally arranged sieves which are given a substantially horizontal gyration, and difficulty is experienced at times in producing and maintaining this horizontal gyration of the sieve bodies without subjecting the supporting building to undesirable stresses.

There are several well defined types of gyratory structures designed for the siftmg of flour and similar materials and in one of those types the sifter body is supported by flexible reeds or supports and the gyration is accomplished by means of a vertical shaft journaled in the sifter body and provided with an eccentrically-placed horizontallymoving weight which, when the shaft is rotated, produces the desired gyration.

The object of my present invention is to produce a driving mechanism by means of which the desired rotation of the gyrationproducing shaft may be obtained under such conditions that abnormal conditions may be met by a temporary lateral yielding of the entire structure without interfering with the continued uniform application of the driving force.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention as applied to a structure of the eccentricallyuveighted shaft type.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a complete flour sifting apparatus embodying my invention, the view being at right angles to that of Fig.2; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the essential portions of my improvement; and Fig. 3 a fragmentary section on line 33 of Fig. 2 with the idler pulleys omitted.

In the drawings, a common type of sifter body is shown, the same comprising two sieve-containing bodies 10, 10 connected by cross trees 11, 11, and supported by the suspending reeds 12, 12, said reeds being arranged one set at each corner of the sifter structure. In this general type of sifter, the gyration is produced by the rotation of a vertical member having a journaled connec tion with the sifter body and, in the particular type shown in the drawings, this vertical member. comprises an upper portion 14 which is journaled in the bearings carried by the crosstrees, and a lower portion 15 which is parallel with but offset from the upper portion and has its axis substantially in the normal axis of gyration of the'structure.

This composite member is commonly termed a shaft and may take several forms, the fundamental characteristics however being that of a lower member substantially in the aXis of gyration and a portion or portions carried thereby but eccentric thereto and having. a journaled engagement with the sifter body.

Thus far the apparatus which I have described is substantially the same as that shown in the Brantingham Reissue Patent No. 12,890, issued December 1, 1908.

In the present-construction, however, instead of applying the driving force to a portion Which is in gyration during operation of the machine, I apply the driving force directly to the portion 15 which is normally in mere rotation but capable of abnormal gyration and, in order to get the driving force to this pulley without interfering with its capability of abnormal lateral displacement, I journal upon the lower end of portion 15 a bearing 27 which is provided with a lateral projection 28 through which is projected a horizontal pin 29 which forms a horizontal hinge support for a distance-rod 30, thus providing for the slight vertical movement of the bearing 27 without requiring a corresponding movement of the entire distance-rod 30 and attached parts. course, if a support is provided for the shaft which does not result in a vertical movement concurrently with the horizontal movement, this joint will not be necessary.

At its outer end rod 30 is provided with a cross bar 31 which at eachof its ends is provided with a socket 32 having a substantially horizontal axis, and rotatably mounted in each of these sockets 32 is a bracket 33 which may be rotated in the pocket to any desired position and held by suitable clamping nuts 34. Each bracket 33 is provided with a pair of downwardly and outwardly projecting arms 35 provided at their outer ends with pockets 36 for the reception of bearing cups 237 which receive the trunnions' of an idler wheel 38 over which the driving belt 39 may be carried from any desired point prefer ably, however, from a point below the floor which supports the apparatus, as indicated in Fig. 2. At or near each end of cross bar 31 I rovide a downwardly extended foot 41 which carries a roller 42 having a substantially horizontal axis which is conveniently formed by cross pin 43 the ends of which are projected laterally from each side of the foot 41. Secured to the floor beneath each roller 42 is a cup 44 in which the roller may 7 roll and this cup is provided with covers 45 arranged upon each side of foot 41 and overlying the projected ends of pin 43 so as toprevent upward movement of these pins but permitting horizontal movement in the general line of length of the bar 30. The covers 45 are also sufliciently spaced from the foot 41 to permit a sufficient amount of twisting of the foot relative to the cup without causing the foot to unduly engage the edges of the cups.

In operation, the driving belt 39 is passed over the idlers 38 and around the driving pulley 26 and, as the entire weight of the gyration-producing shaft and parts carried thereby is supported upon the foot plate 18 which, in turn, is supported upon the hangers 21, the foot plate 18 will be practically in its normal position, the weight of the sifter body being supported by the reeds 12.; When force is applied to the belt, the shaft 1415 will be revolved about the axis of portion 15 and will produce gyration of the sifter body about an axis which, under normal conditions, will be the axis of portion 15, this axis remaining stationary. If, however, abnormal conditions arise at any time (and these abnormal conditions are very likely to arise when the apparatus is being started and-possibly at times during the operation), there may be a lurch of the sifter body toward one side or another, which, if the plate 18 were fixed, would transmit an undesirable stress to the build ing. Because of the construction shown,

however, any lurching of the apparatus causes a momentary lateral yield of the apparatus as a whole and the parts soon readjust themselves to normal condition without jarring the building.

I'claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a gyratory body and means for supporting the same, of a rotatable shaft having a cranked portion journaled in said body and also having a supporting portion eccentric to said cranked portion and substantially in the axis of desired gyration, a laterally-yieldable, vertically-movable support for said shaftcarrying a bearing receiving said eccentric ortion, a driving pulley mounted upon sai eccentric portion, a sleeve journaled on the aforesaid eccentric portion, a distance rod connected with said sleeve by a horizontal pivotal connection, a laterally-yieldable support for the outer end of said distance rod, and a pair of belt-supporting idlers carried by said distance rod to support a driving belt passing to the driving pulley.

2. The combination of a gyratory body and means for supporting the same, of a rotatable shaft having a cranked portion journaled in said body and also having a supporting portion eccentric to said cranked portion and substantially in the axis of desired gyration, a laterally-yieldable, verti cally-movable support for said shaft carrying a bearing receiving said eccentric portion, a driving pulley mounted upon said eccentric portion, a sleeve journaled on the aforesaid eccentric portion, a distance rod connected with said sleeve, a laterally-yieldable support for the outer end of said distance rod, and a pair of belt-supporting idlers carried by said distance rod to support a driving belt passing to the driving pulley.

3. The combination of a gyratory body and means for supporting the same, of a rotatable shaft having a cranked portion journaled in said body and also having a suportin ortion eccentric to said cranked portion and substantially in the axis of de sired gyration, a laterally-yieldable, vertically-moyable support for said shaft carrying a bearing receiving said eccentric portion, a driving pulley mounted upon said eccentric portion, a sleeve journaled on the aforesaid eccentric portion, a distance rod connected with said sleeve by a horizontal pivotal connection, a pair of laterally-separated feet carried by the outer end of said distance rod and each provided with a roller having a horizontal axis, a pair of supporting plates for said rollers, laterally-projecting horizontal pins carried by said feet, and guards carried by said plates and overlying said pins.

cally-movable support for said shaft carrying a bearing receiving said eccentric portion, a driving pulley mounted upon said eccentric portion, a sleeve journaled on the aforesaid eccentric portion, a distance rod connected with" said sleeve, a pair of latorally-separated feet carried by the outer end of said distance rod and each provided hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this seven- With a roller having a horizontal axis, a pair teenth day of April, A. D. one thousand nine of supporting plates for said rollers, laterhundred and fourteen. ally-projecting horizontal pins carried by LESLIE I. ZIEGLER. said feet, and guards carried by said plates Witnesses: and overlying said pins. JOSEPHLNE GASPER',

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my FRANK A. FAHLE. 

